Game apparatus.



No. 887,342. PATENTBD MAY 12, 1908. A. MoLANE.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION nun JAN. 25. 1901.

A Aim PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER MoLANE, OF LANSFORD, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAME APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 12, 1908.

Application filed January 25, 1907. Serial No. 353,997

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER MOLANE, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Lansford, in the county of Carbon and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a game apparatus which will afford instruction and amusement to children in teaching them designing and making figures either plain or in colors, from a pattern or from exterior objects.

My invention also relates to an apparatus which will be useful to the designer and will aid him in making up designs for oil-cloth, rugs, and other fabrics and which will enable him to combine and blend the colors of the design readily, changing them at will without the necessity of erasing the pattern as is now the practice.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention I construct a frame of suitable size and shape and in a way to accommodate a perforated sheet made either of wire interlaced to form holes arranged in series, or the holes may be stamped in series from a sheet of any desired material such, for instance, as metal, celluloid or stiff card-board and may be of any shape such, for instance as square, round, etc. Beneath this perforated sheet a backboard is held firmly in the frame, which backboard may have a pattern thereon, or there may be provided an interposed pattern card. Through the holes in the perforated sheet, plain or colored blocks of any desired shape and size may be placed resting upon the backboard or pattern card and forming the desired pattern.

In the accom anying drawings, Figure 1 is a face view the game apparatus, Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken in the plane of the line A-A of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 3 is a back view, Fig. 4 is a face view of a attern card, Fig. 5 is a detail view on an en arged scale of a portion of the apparatus, Fig. 6 is a section taken in the plane of the line B-B of Fig. 5, looking in the direction of the arrows, Fig. 7 is a view of a modified formof perforated sheet, 8 is a section taken in the plane of the line CC of Fig. 7, looking in the direction of the arrows, and Fig. 9 is a detail view of a portion of a backboard. with the pattern placed directly thereon.

1 designates a frame provided with a latarally extended flange 2 around its inner edge. Strips 3 are secured to the inside of the flange and serve to hold a perforated sheet 4 rigidly to the frame. This sheet 4 is preferably made of wire as shown in Figs' 5 and 6, so interlaced as to form a plurality of holes 5 arranged in series spaced at equal distances apart throughout the entire opening in the frame. This perforated sheet 4 may also be made by stamping holes in series in a sheet of any desired material, such for instance, as metal, celluloid, or stiff cardboard, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

The backboard 6 is spaced a distance beneath the perforated sheet 4 sufficient to form together with the walls of the holes 5 in the said sheet, a support for the blocks to be used in making up a design. A pattern may be directly applied to the face of the backboard 6 or a pattern card 7 may be placed upon the backboard beneath the perforated sheet.

One way of securing the backboard 6 with in the frame 1 is to provide cross-bars 8, one end of each of which enters slots 9 in the frame and the other end of which is engaged by a locking spring 10 carried by the frame. Flat springs 11 are secured to the inner faces of the cross-bars S and press against the outer face of the backboard 6, which in turn resses firmly against the strips 3 of the "rame. When the interposed pattern card 7 is used, the backboard serves to hold it firmly in its proper position relatively to the perforated sheet.

Blocks 12 of any shape and size such, for instance, as cubes and cylinders, are placed in the holes 5 in the sheet 4 to form any desired design or to copy any pattern on the backboard or interposed pattern card. These blocks may be colored if desired and are )referably of such size and form as to loosefy fit within the holes in the sheet and extend a slight distance above the sheet for permitting the person using the game apparatus to conveniently handle the said blocks.

l/Vhen the apparatus is intended for use by a child, the Cl11l(l may make up designs or may follow designs laced on the backboard or pattern card and may in this latter inl stance thus be taught to properly match the colors of the blocks with the colors of the pattern and also match the shape of the blocks with the shapes indicated on the pattern.

This apparatus is also valuable for the designer as a testing device for the reason that the design can be quickly constructed and actherein for receiving the curately tested with different combinations of colors or patterns and may be readily changed both as to colors or patterns at will.

It is to be understood that this invention is not restricted to any particular use and that it may be changed in various ways to suit different requirements without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention; hence I do not wish to limit myself 1satrictly to the construction herein set forth,

What I claim is:

' 1. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of blocks, a frame, a sheet having holes therein for receiving the blocks and a pattern card located beneath said sheet.

2. A game apparatus comprising a plural ity of blocks, a frame, a sheet having holes therein for receiving the blocks and a pattern carcLslpaced from said sheet.

3. game apparatus comprising a plural: ity of blocks, a frame, a sheet having holes therein for receiving the blocks, a removable pattern card located beneath said sheet and means for locking the pattern card in position.

4. A game apparatus ity of blocks, a frame,

comprising a plural a sheet having holes blocks, a removable pattern card spaced from said sheet and means for locking the pattern card in position.

5. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of blocks, a frame,

a sheet having holes therein for receiving the blocks, a backboard forming a support for the blocks and apat- 1 tern card interposed between the backboard and sheet.

6. A game apparatus comprising a plurality of blocks, a frame, a sheet having holes therein for receiving the blocks, a removable backboard forming a support for the blocks,

a removable pattern car interposed between the backboard and sheet and means for locking the backboard and pattern card to the frame.

7. A ame apparatus comprising a plurality of b ocks, a frame, a sheet having holes therein for receiving the blocks and a pattern disclosing backboard forming a support for the blocks.

8. A ame apparatus comprising a plurality of b ocks, a frame, a sheet having holes therein for receiving the blocks, a removable pattern disclosing backboard forming a support for the blocks and means for locking the ackboard to the said frame.

that I claim the foregoing as In testimony,

I have signed my name in my invention,

presence of two witnesses, this 22 day of January 1907.

ALEXANDER MOLANE.

Witnesses:

JAMES P. BUHNER, OSCAR RUDNER. 

